WWNBA: 2013 Playoffs Showcase the NBA's Protected Teams and Players!

     Since America is in the middle of the NBA playoffs I thought it would be fitting to write a few comments on the state of the league.  In the past 25 years the NBA has evolved into the second leading sport in America behind our pastime football, and David Stern has played a major part in this rise to glory, but it hasn't all been good.  As the years go by it seems as is the league is turning into more of a WWE type sport, where whoever is the most popular team, with the best players, will be handled by referees differently.  This has been claimed since the infamous book Jordan Rules.

     If a fan honestly watches a game they will admit that when a player such as Reggie Evans goes to the hole and gets hammered they are far more unlikely to get a foul call then a player, such as, Lebron James.  Even great players like Carmelo Anthony are unable to get the same calls as the great 'King James' or Kevin Durant.  You see the replays and you ask yourself 'How did they miss that?', but you also find yourself asking that numerous times a game.  

     There seems to be a rhythm to the art the is 'refereeing' a basketball game.  You will find that the top teams are called for the least amount of fouls, such as the Spurs being the least penalized for almost a decade, and when they are called for a foul it tends to be on an insignificant player.  I go back to the playoffs between the Denver Nuggets and the San Antonio Spurs in 2007 where the NBA's darling, Tim Duncan, was called for 1 foul in 4 games.  When you watched the games it was apparent that there were far more fouls committed by this gifted player.  So why is it that when a team gets a reputation for being a good defensive team, they tend to be called for less fouls?  The reality is that the better defensive teams commit more fouls as they're constantly reaching and slapping wrists, but the NBA turns their heads to protect the teams image.

     The sad reality is that the refs in the NBA are just human and whether they're instructed, which I hope is not the case, or they just get caught up in the emotion of the crowd, David 'the Dictator' Stern needs to clamp down on what is really a foul and what is not.  He said that he was going to fine players for their first flop in the playoffs, but I for one have seen so many flops that have not been called that those are just empty words.  In closing I hope the new commissioner will clean up the NBA and save the sport from the mega star teams and unbalanced calls.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

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The Bush Legacy: Bold Enough To Make Tough Decisions

     Over 11 years has passed since the tragic day of September 11th, 2001, but the memories still haunt many Americans to this day.  It was a day that showed America's vulnerabilities, but it also put on display American courage!  Since that day we have been mired in wars, failed plots, and successful plots, but we have still remained strong as American's.  Today our country honored a man that many dislike, vilify, and even hate, but there is one thing they cannot take from George W. Bush, and that is he stood up in the face of evil and did what he thought was right!

     The George W. Bush Memorial Library opened today with initial excitement as the former President and his wife, Laura, revisited their first days in office, but as they turned one of the first corners ABC News reports, "...former First Lady Laura Bush says she and her husband have both been brought to tears by the new 9/11 exhibit at the museum."  That part of the Library must remind the two of a nightmare they would soon rather forget.  Our country was up in arms demanding that someone pay for the bombings of the 'Twin Towers' and Bush used all of his resources to find out exactly who that 'someone' was.

     As the years have gone by we all know that there were many mistakes that were made in 'The War On Terror', but one fact remains, and that is we did what we thought was right to protect our country.  Many call the wars unjust or worse, but they must acknowledge the truth, Bush said Osama Bin Laden was behind the bombings, which was correct, and eventually we were able to kill Bin Laden very close to where our intelligence to us he was at the time.  While many give the credit to Obama for the Osama Bin Laden killing, it would not have been possible without the larger, more blunt, invasion of Afghanistan.  Further, if we had just stuck our heads in the sand during that great tragedy how much worse off would we be today?  Bin Laden would be acting with impunity, and who knows what Saddam Hussein would be up to right now.

     In honor of the new library I would like to personally thank George W. Bush for having to make the courageous decision to go after our enemies no matter what the cost.  It is the Monday morning quarterbacks that now sit back and critique every decision made and have had a decade to come up with a better answer.  When one is the leader of the free world you don't have the luxury to sit back for 10 years before you make a decision, you must act quickly with the best knowledge possible.  Anyone who thinks otherwise is plain foolish, or a professor bent on making a name for themselves.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee 

Freedom of Speech: Don't Let Your Fears Allow the Government to Censor Your Voice!

     In this age of information technology and fast-paced news there arises new fears and dangers.  Whether it be political or market based new, it fires across the internet at ever faster rates, with very little or no verification necessary.  This leads many to call for stricter controls and verification processes, but this would be a huge mistake and violation of our First Amendment rights as Americans.

     On April 22nd, 2013 the Associated Press had their twitter feed hacked as a criminal sent out the false report that their had been explosions at the White House and that the President had been injured.  This terrible act caused the market to plummet briefly and then within a few minutes it corrected itself.  Many on Wall Street, and in America, began to question the security of our news sources and call for a tighter regulations and security measures, but this is a huge mistake!  We, as Americans, need to fight for our right to let our voices be heard, because the moment we allow one of our freedoms to be gradually taken away the government will slowly take site at others.  Is it some sinister plot to enslave us as Americans?  It may not be that at all, but rather there may be a genuine fear in Washington for the safety of the American people, but you know what they say about 'best intentions'.

     Another recent episode that is a great example of our free press was the coverage of the Saudi 'student' that was mysteriously ushered out of the country after the Boston bombings.  This news was broken by Glen Beck and The Blaze with information that was provided by firsthand sources.  This student was originally listed as 'A Person of Interest' and was put on the terrorist watch list, but the government immediately tried to bury and change this information.  But even with the damage control that has been attempted, Janet Napolitano admitted that the Saudi was indeed on the previously mentioned watch list.  So why did we try and ship him out of the country in the middle of the night?

     America has long been considered a bastion of freedom where people are able to freely express their viewpoints without the fear of government reprisal, but with the constant misinformation out of Washington, sadly we may lose these rights.  Whether it is Benghazi or the Boston bombing, we don't seem to be getting a straight answer out of our government, and it is for this very reason that we must keep pressing for transparency and for our right to voice our opinion.  It hasn't started with this administration, or with this system of government, but rather throughout history.  Whenever power becomes too concentrated at the top there is a natural tendency to do whatever possible to protect that power, as it is natural to fight against that protection of power.  I hope that our fears for safety don't lead us down a path to slavery!  God bless.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Pride...

One of my favorite parables in the Bible (Because I have been both men) is the one where a man is in front of the church boasting to God how great he is and how many good works he has done, and then there is the man in the back pounding his chest claiming that he isn't worthy...Jesus said the one in the back goes home justified...Martin Luther states the fate of the proud man as, "Because people are proud and dream they are wise, righteous, and holy, it is necessary for them to be HUMBLED by the law, so that the BEAST that is their high opinion of their righteousness might be slain; otherwise no one can obtain life."

To Stand In the Presence of God On Judgment Day: What Will You Feel?

     Reading through the book The End by Mark Hitchcock last night I came across a line where he wrote the following, "The great American statesman Daniel Webster was once asked about the greatest thought to ever enter his mind.  He responded, "The most important thought that ever occupied my mind is 'my accountability to God.'" What gripped Webster was the knowledge that one day he would stand before God." and I began to wonder how I would feel standing in the awesome presence of our risen Lord.

     At first, I imagined standing on a huge, empty, white marble floor in front of a majestic throne with angels surrounding and looking down on me in judgment.  I wanted to cower down and disappear as I felt the unworthiness to stand in the presence of All Mighty God.  I could feel the sin of my life covering me in shame, but then the attack from the enemy ended, and I began to see how God saw me, through the finished work of His Son Jesus Christ.  I envisioned myself getting up off the floor and standing up straight as I realized that I was the righteousness of the Lord through Christ Jesus.  I'm sure many of you have had this attack from the enemy, accusing of not being worthy, but never let that thought stay in your mind for long!

     As Martin Luther said, "Let it accuse us, let it slander us, let it persecute us and not spare us; still we must not hold our peace but must speak freely, so that afflicted consciences may be delivered out of the snares of the devil."  Therefor, when he (the devil) comes at you proclaiming the law, and how you have failed to live up to its demands, run to the grace of Christ and let Him shelter you.  And never forget that when you're going through a 'dark night of the soul' to seek out other believers that they may comfort you.  Once again on this subject I would like to quote Luther, "Therefore, it is dangerous for us to be alone (Ecclesiastes 4:10).  There is no danger if we separate ourselves from other people for a day or two to pray; we read that Christ went up the mountain alone and stayed there for the night to pray, and he did the same in the Garden (Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:41).  But when people are forced to lead a solitary life, that is a device of the devil himself.  When we are tempted and are alone, we cannot raise ourselves up even in the least temptation."

     So as we contemplate that glorious day when we stand before our Lord, do not be afraid, if you are in Christ, but stand (or kneel if you choose) in loving admiration and love of your God.  He will be there to reward you for your deeds on earth and to say 'well done good and faithful servant'.  For those of you who are not in Christ, I would urge you to accept Him as Lord of your life and confess your sin and ask Him to come live within you.  Once you have done this, you're now one of the faithful and will stand with us before the Great Throne of God!  God Bless!

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

F.D.R. & Obama: The New Deal, As It Relates To Obama's Economic Plans

     On the economic front there have been a few positive developments as oil and gas prices have begun to dip as big money is fleeing to other investments, but this will likely not last long as our government has yet to address the underlying problem with our economy and dollar, overspending.  We continually spend far more then we take in, and as many have said, this cannot continue.  In studying the past it is amazing that we continue down this path of using government spending to help stimulate the economy.

     During the Great Depression our country under Herbert Hoover attempted to stimulate the economy by lowering personal taxes, but it was too little too late.  As John Kenneth Galbraith says in A Journey Through Economic Time the tax break amounted to the following, "A taxpayer with an income of $5,000, a very comfortable return in those days, had his or her tax cut by two-thirds.  It went from $16.88 to $5.63. Someone with $10,000, roughly the equivalent of $100,000 today, saw his tax go from $120 down to $65."  Obviously this was not nearly drastic enough to stave the economic tsunami that was headed our way.  As history shows, Hoover ended up losing the election, and in came F.D.R. and The New Deal.

     Roosevelt's cabinet contained a vast array of political insight, including a rather 'vocal' communist bunch, who helped to form the economic policy of the next decade.  F.D.R., with advice from some prominent economist, wanted the government to buy gold to drive up the prices, and thus, presumably, the prices of other commodities would go higher as well, but this was an utter failure.  This did not stop F.D.R., according to Galbraith, from his toying with, and destruction of, the gold standard as he would candidly as his economic adviser each morning what the price of gold should be.  Many other policies were undertaken by the administration, of which Galbraith was a part, and in one quote from his book you can see the administrations lies coming through when he states the following, "He too promised fiscal responsibility, strong steps toward a balanced budget.  Later, in 1936, when he asked Samuel Rosemann, his highly accomplished assistant, how he might reconcile the spending and deficits of his first four years with the promise of strict fiscal rectitude that he had made in a speech in Pittsburgh in 1932, he was told, according to legend, that his only course was to deny firmly that he had ever given that speech."  Sounds eerily familiar to what our current government does when the actions don't match the promises.

     When looking at the excessive government spending program that was undertaken during the Great Depression even Galbraith admits it did nothing, or quite possibly made the situation worse, and that the real reason we made it out of that economic disaster was the advent of World War II.  I hope our current government will reverse course in its spending habits, and that in the end we will not have to look for a great war to get us out of this economic hole that we are in.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Chechen Islamic Terrorists: Love the Person, Hate the Sin

     As today's events unfold we must keep our faith in Christ at the forefront and not lust for revenge.  One man has already lost his life, and thus paid the ultimate price for his sins.  The younger man is still on the loose and let us pray that he is taken alive so that we can gather from him as much information as possible.  With that said, let's not forget where these two are from, and what that may possibly mean.

     Chechnya has long been a hot bed of Islamic terrorism, which has been a thorn in Russia's side.  If one remembers as late as 2004 a school and 1,100 people were taken hostage by Chechen Islamic terrorists and that ended in 380 people dying, including many children.  It is quite amazing that the news media is not covering the Chechen connection more closely, but I guess it shouldn't be that surprising with our ignorance to the terror that is Islam.  What people fail to realize is how committed an Islamic terrorist can be.  You may have seen the interview with the college student who knew the remaining suspect and claimed that he was a nice guy.  He went on to say that he was on the wrestling team, played soccer, and many other 'friendly activities, and that is what should concern us.  The mindset of an individual who can smile in your face and be your friend, while at the same plotting over a period of time to kill so many innocent people, should open our eyes.  

     Now I want to make it clear that according to the Bible we are to love the person and hate the sin!  Pray for this young man that he would turn himself in, and maybe in time, Christ would reveal himself to him and become his savior, because Jesus loves that kid as much as He does you and I.  Good bless and keep in prayer.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Left Wing Media Immediately Seeks to Assign Blame to Right Wing Extremist Groups, With No Evidence

     As predicted in my first blog on the Boston Massacre, the left wing media almost immediately began to assign blame to possible right wing extremist groups.  The problem with these accusations is that there was absolutely no evidence that had come in that would lead anyone to come to that conclusion.  It is a sign once again of the media trying to get in line with the White House and its policy to avoid at whatever cost calling an action a terrorist one.  Finally, Obama did have the gumption to go against his liberal base and call it what it was, a terrorist act, but you could see he did everything to make it clear he didn't want to say those words.  He went as far as to say whenever a bomb is used against civilians, then it is inherently a terrorist act.

     Once again I would urge Americans to cry out against this insanity that we call being 'politically correct'.  It will be the destruction of our nation and our way of life.  We need to keep a tight grip on the truth and not let our favorite news anchors sway our opinion.  Fox news pointed out major anchors who implicated right wing groups right off the bat, including 'chill up my leg' Chris Matthews.  I could put out a blog that stated Big Bird was behind the bombings at the beginning and I guess that would qualify as hard hitting journalism?  We need to demand more of our media, or vote with our remotes.  If a station continually gets something wrong then you should have the commonsense to realize that they may not be telling you the truth, and therefor you should pick another station, or just not watch the news at all.

     When we finally get to the bottom of who was behind this horrific event we will finally know which news outlets were trying to cover the facts, and which were trying to push White House policy.  I will reiterate that Islam is not a religion of peace and never has been, and this latest attack proves that being nice (like Obama) and playing patty cake with them does not stop them in their mission.  Keep your prayers up for our President and everyone else on this planet that sanity would reign.  God bless!

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

The True Purpose of the Islamic Faith: Submit or Die!

     In the aftermath of the attacks in Boston it's important to take another look at Islam and what its true stated goal in the world is.  Many who have never studied the religion claim that the religion is a religion of peace, but that is far from the truth.  All one has to do is look at the history of the religion and its spread through conquest and murder.  It is no surprise that when you look at the Bible and trace Islam back to its roots (Ishmael), you will see that God said of his descendants, "He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hands will be against everyone, And everyone's hand will be against him."

     Throughout the history of the Middle East the Arabs (direct descendants of Ishmael) have been at war with their neighbors, and when Muhammad came onto the scene it made things far worse.  According to Bryant Wright in The Seeds of Turmoil, "Islam was founded by Muhammad and was originally seen by him not as a new religion but as a purification and completion of Judaism and Christianity that had been corrupted by man."  As Wright goes on to state, the Jews and Christians saw the error in his teachings and rejected them as false.  This rejection angered Muhammad and led him to eventually create his own religion and use the sword to persuade any that disagreed with his new belief system.  Anger and hatred have been at the heart of this false religion ever since.

     Modern Islam is still perpetrated through violence as Wright once again demonstrates in the following, "In light of history the Western world was foolish to conclude that a man like Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran was just a Muslim extremist when he said of Iran's revolution in 1979, "We will export our revolution throughout the world...until the calls, 'There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah's are echoed all over the world."  Or that Osama bin Laden was just an Islamic extremist when he said about the 9/11 terrorist attack, 'I was ordered to fight the people until they say there is no god but Allah."  We cannot close our eyes to what the true teachings of Islam are!

     As Christians we must love our enemies and keep them in prayer, that Jesus would deliver them from their deception, but the Bible also says that we must be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.  So we must keep our eyes open and never be afraid to call out evil when we see it, because if we fail to do so, it may overtake our nation and our people.  God bless and stay in prayer!

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee 

The AP Now Allowed to Say 'Terrorist'?

     With the horrible tragedy that occurred today in Boston, it is sickening to see the White House change course from its colossally ignorant policy of denying that terrorism exist.  Just a week after letting the Associated Press know that it was no longer appropriate to say 'Terrorist' or 'Islamic Terrorist', we experienced just how real the threat is (no matter what Obama thinks).  My heart goes out to the families of the those who have died and the others who have been hurt!  I will pray for you.

     As for the White House, when will our government wake up to the threat that is Islam?  There are over 1.5 billion Muslims on this planet, and according to the government, only 10% of those are extremist.  That means there are 150 millions Muslims that are hell bent on destroying our society and way of life.  This subject has been infected by the disease of political correctness to where now some of our citizens have paid with their lives.  In the meantime our government is supporting the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and other terrorist governments.  It would be no surprise if the government tries to spin this event as the work of a 'lone wolf' or 'evangelical extremist', but whatever the case, we as Americans need to wake up to the discontent around the globe.  The Bible says in the end times there will be 'wars' and 'rumors of wars', so we should not be surprised about these events, but we should now be equally prepared.  Keep your eyes open for a power grab from the government, which happens in times of fear such as this.  I hope everyone continues in prayer, and continues to pray that our President will act with the wisdom of God!

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Gold & Silver Tanking? Or Big Money Manipulating?

     I want to start off this post by stating that I am not a financial adviser and before making any trades please consult your own financial adviser before making any moves.  With that said, let's look at some of the underlying reasons for this huge move to the downside in Gold and Silver, which are currently trading at $1366 and $23.70, respectively.  

     The biggest concern I have with such a huge move is that on Friday Goldman Sachs advised that they were going to be shorting Gold, which means they are betting huge that Gold will fall in price.  Typically, when a huge financial institution such as Goldman comes out and makes a statement such as this the market begins to sell off.  This fact alone can account for the majority of the move to the downside today, but is this a rational sell off?  I would say no!

     Historically, with prices adjusted for inflation, Gold never even came close to its all-time high of roughly $2100/ounce (according to a CNBC analyst) so the imagined bubble is not at all what it seems.  When you take a deep breath, and step back for a second, you can see that governments are still overspending to a huge degree, which devalues their currencies.  When a country's currency is devalued it naturally causes the value of commodities such as; Gold, Silver, and Oil to rise, as they have an intrinsic value.  What is going on over the last several days is the major players spooking the market.  Don't be surprised if people like George Soros, Goldman Sachs, and others sold at the top levels, and as they see the market tank they will be scooping up as much Gold as they can.  

     And as a side note, Silver is in such demand for its industrial uses that it seems absurd for its price to be dropping along the same lines as Gold.  Silver is used in the hundreds of millions of cellphones and laptops made, and I doubt that they will find another source to use in the manufacture other than silver in the near future.  Once again I would urge that you talk with your financial adviser before making and long term decision.  God Bless and keep your eyes open to the big picture!

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Socialism, Usury, and Antisemitisms Current Rise

     A couple of days ago I walked through the campus of Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and I came upon a memorial that was set up for all those who perished in the Holocaust.  My heart sank as I read through the quotes from Hitler's thugs and saw the images of twisted lifeless bodies piled up in heaps, but then I started to read a little deeper, and what I read amazed and saddened me.  

     On one of the tripods was set up a photo of the German army and some German Jews, and underneath it spoke about how the first thing the Nazi's did, which were referred to as the National Socialist Party, was to take control of the news media and monitor and dictate what it shared with the public.  What would follow would be one of history's greatest examples of mass brainwashing ever!  Joseph Goebbels would lead the German people on a path of hatred that included everyone who was not Aryan by birth, and it would eventually lead to the killings of millions of innocent people all across Europe.  What I found ironic about the photo and caption, were that it mirrored a lot of what is currently going on in our own country.  If you watch closely, you can see that the mainstream media, save perhaps Fox News, is in step with everything the White House wants, and rarely go as far as to show even the least little bit of disagreement with His (Obama's) policies.  So there we have the first step in the Socialist grab for power, but you may ask where does the antisemitism fit in?  To answer quite frankly, the 'Big Banks' of Wall Street.  How are the two interlinked with the Jewish people, and further how does that match with the Germany of World War II?
     In World War II the Nazi's had been indoctrinated with an antisemitic worldview that can trace its roots to Martin Luther and even further in the past.  The Jews of Nazi Germany were in charge of the banks, but this was not what infuriated German's most.  It was the fact that Jew's were looked at as the reason their country was in such great debt, which in a small sense was true.  The Rothschild's were Europe's bankers and had been there to bail out many nations in their time of need, and yes they were Jewish, and yes they charged interest on these loans.  Hitler felt extremely jealous of the rich, and since Jewish people were among the most wealthy, he hated them most.  He actually looked at his proposed extermination of their race as a duty owed to God.  Along with many other antisemitic 'Christians' they all failed to realize that if they really truly believed in the Bible then they would realize that God had given the Jewish people a right to charge interest on loans to all non-Jews.  The result was similar to the King of France during the Templar's time, and that is, they confiscated the Jew's wealth first, with the King of France then moving on to take the Templar's belongings.  Now let's take a look at today.
     When the Barak Obama began running his Socialist campaign, his first attacks were on the big banks of Wall Street, which just happened to be mostly Jewish firms.  Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Bear Sterns, and other smaller firms were among those Semitic investment banks.  He was able to whip up a national fervor that had the American people wanting the bank CEO's blood!  Not mentioned by the government owned media, was that these banks had been forced by Congress for the last 3 decades to provide loans to people who would otherwise not qualify.  There  were threats that the government would look into the percentage of sub-prime loans each bank was issuing to make sure they were doing their part to provide homes to everyone.  And to let the real genie out of the bottle, Bill Clinton repealed the Glass-Stegall Act, enabling banks to be both an investment bank and a holding bank.  This had been outlawed since the time of J.P. Morgan because many at the time saw the inherent conflict of interest involved, but people really don't want to hear the government was at fault.
     As a final thought, it is seems to go hand in hand with how the current President has handled the Middle East, that we are distancing ourselves from Israel ever so slightly.  We must pray that our country does not follow the trends of historic Europe and their constant antisemitic uprisings.  We must remember that God chose the Jew's as His people and blessed them, and said that anyone who curses them, they also shall be cursed.  Keep your eyes open!


By Jeffrey Brandon Lee
     
     

      

Quote of the Day: Jack Cashill (Repeating the Economic Housing Crisis)

     Since F.D.R., the federal government has been on a mission to destroy the family through aid programs that do nothing other than to give people an easy way out of a decision they made.  Tired of living with your husband?  Get divorced and the government will raise your child for you.  Want a $500,000 dollar house and you make $10/hour?  Uncle Sam has got your back!  These FHA insured type loans have been going on since the great depression and yet we never seem to learn that if someone can't afford a house on a piece of paper, then they definitely can't afford it in real life.  Jack Cashill has a great quote on the destruction of the family when he writes the following, "Many of the new homeowners were not nearly ready to own a home.  Single mothers, for instance, received some 20 percent of these mortgages in already vulnerable cities like Philadelphia and Detroit.  Since roughly 1960, the federal government had been on an unwitting campaign to drive fathers from the home.  That was the year that the Aid to Dependent Children Program became the Aid to families with Dependent Children Program became the Aid to Moms with Dependent Children.  A working dad at home did not fit the state definition of family.  In 1964 the Feds sweetened the pot for forsaken moms with food stamps and in 1965 with Medicaid." 

     We, as Americans, need to learn to tighten our belt's and save when times are good and not constantly go on binge spending when we get a raise, or grab a credit card when things go wrong.  I for one have been caught in this vicious cycle, but it is time to stand up and tell the government to stop spending and we will take our lumps for the betterment of our children's futures!

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Helping Those in Need

    One common thing I hear Christians discuss is how and when to give to the needy,  I have heard them claim that you must pray and ask for God's guidance, I don't want them to just go buy alcohol, or my favorite 'God helps those who help themselves'.  But is any of this accurate and inline with the teachings of Christ in the New Testament?  I would venture to say no!

     To start off I want to deal with a very clear verse on the subject, and that is Mathew 25:34-46 which states,

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”  It would seem pretty clear from this passage that the Lord never required anything from those in need in order to be helped.  In fact, it would seem that He is requiring help for everyone in need, regardless of any potential sin their lives.

     Another clear example is in Mathew 6:3, which states, "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."  It should be apparent from these two verses that we're to give without even thinking about where the money is going, not because they deserve it, but because God commanded us to!  I fear that many of us suffer from a greedy heart and that we're worried that if we give to everyone who asks then we will run out of money for ourselves, but this is a lack of faith in God.  Do you really think that God doesn't have enough resources to supply you with every need?  Of course He does.  So next time you see the man on the street with the sign, look at them with the heart of God, and give!

 

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

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Quote of the Day: Billy Graham 'Storm Warning'

Today's quote is something every Christian should take to heart and be wary of.  It comes from Billy Graham's Storm Warning pg. 111-112 and states the following:

    "Look at the condition of marriage within the context of today's Christian homes and churches.  The divorce rate is almost as high among believers as among unbelievers.  Almost every day a new revelation surfaces about another leader in the church whose marriage is in shambles.  All too often, in both the spiritual and in the marital dimension of life, it is simply a matter of letting their first love grow cold (the problem of the Ephesians and the Laodiceans) and of giving in to the values of this age and to its immoral practices (the problem of the Christians in Pergamum, Thyatira, and Sardis)."

We need to leave the things of Egypt in Egypt, and move on to those things God has for us in this life.  As Graham makes it clear, we must find our first love, Christ!

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Media, Journalist, and the Merenaries They Have Become!

     One of the most humorous things you can do online these days is read a liberal columnist trying to come across as unbiased.  Everyone would admit that the days of fair journalism are over, and that it's more important to play to your base than it is to be honest, but sometimes you have to scratch your head.  Is it quite possible that both sides of the argument are wrong just a little bit of the time?  Probably not, given they way they write and never once recant what they've said.

     On yahoo today there was one such article by Daivd Bauder in which he makes comments such as, "Joe Scarborough must be doing something right to be attacked by both Paul Krugman and Mark Levin in the same month."  What does that even mean?  It's clear that to this so-called 'reporter' it's not truth that matters when someone is attacked, but rather making sure that one falls in the political middle.  That's the whole problem with politicians on both sides of the isle in this day and age.  Either you're far to the right, in order to catering to your base, or you're a centrist, trying to be the man for everyone, or you're far to the left, trying to be relevant to all the cooks out there.  Take a piece of advice, take a stand for what you really believe and stop worrying about where you fall in the political spectrum.

     Scarborough is a prime example of someone who isn't concerned with truth, but instead cares about what appeals to the masses.  In the same article Scarborough is quote as saying, "I get so tired of people asking me whether we should be the moderate party or the conservative party. I just want us to stop being the stupid party." and "That's how I feel," he said. "It's really not so much about ideology as it is about good governance and tone."  So what he's trying to say is that it's more important to be able to catch the American people's attention, than it is to have a solid base of morals and beliefs.  It is also amusing to claim that Scarborough could possibly be a conservative, while at the same time working for the White House's mouth piece MSNBC.  Come on journalist, does your craft really mean so little to you these days?  Are you just a hired mercenary paid to take out the political opposition without any regard to truth or ideology?

     In this day and age I would be much more comfortable with a writer stating 'I am a liberal and here is what I think', or 'I'm a conservative and this is my point of view on the matter'.  Instead we are left up to our own devices to try and disseminate what is truth from lies, and then come up with our own opinion.  I pray that truth reigns someday soon! 

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Something Different: Go Denver Nuggets!

     Well I decided to blog about something a little different today.  The National Basketball Association (NBA to Americans) is winding up its season and it looks like it's going to be a great playoffs.  My hometown team the Denver Nuggets seemed to limping into the playoffs after losing their two top scores, but last night they sent the rest of the league a message, and that was 'WE ARE NOT BACKING DOWN!"

     It was a breath of fresh air to see a team that is young and talented, challenged by adversity, come through and deliver an old-fashioned beat down on the Houston Rockets.  You could feel the energy and excitement in the air as each and every dunk was thrown down with authority.  Everyone played with an intensity and passion sorely lacking on the more 'talented' teams, and it paid off!

     The 'Energizer Bunny' Corey Brewer came off the bench and literally ran around at full steam, like a chicken with his head cut off, making every play possible.  Javelle MaGee took every opportunity to put as many Houston Rockets in personal photos that he could, while his smaller counterpart Kenneth Faried soared through the air as usual.  The crafty 'YMCA' veteran Andre Miller played like nobody was in front of him as the eyes in the back of his head paid big dividends.  All in all that was one of the most enjoyable games I have seen in recent history as the Nuggets routed the Rockets 132-114.  

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

North Korea Claims Nuke's Could Hit Austin, TX: Neville Chamberlain Obama Sits on His Hands

     North Korea is ratcheting up its' threats once again, as it puts Austin, TX on the map of its' possible targets.  What was Neville Chamberlain's...um I mean Barak Obama's response to such provocations?  A strong reaction by the international community, but what does that really mean?  By his words Obama really meant that the United States would maintain the status quot of economic sanctions and harsh rhetoric.  Seems to have worked so far, no not really.  

     Once again the media is fiercely coming to stand by the Administration and its' stance on the rouge nation of North Korea.  They even go so far as to criticize Governor Rick Perry when he stated, “Economically what has happened in Texas over the course of the last decade has made this city an epicenter for a lot of technology, a lot of economic development, and I think the individuals in North Korea understand that Austin, Texas, is a very important city in America, as do corporate CEOs and other people who are moving here in record numbers,” Perry said.  The mainstream media even went as far as taking shots at Perry, claiming that he was using this whole incident to help promote the economic job growth that has occurred in his state.  Why does this seem so irrational to the 'intelligentsia' of the left?  It's quite simple, they act just as Neville Chamberlain did when Hitler would attack, promise he would stop, attack again, and promise again, resulting in the outbreak of World War II.  The left seems to have the inability to acknowledge that there just might be some bad characters out there on the world stage, and some of them might just do what they say.

     The choice of Austin, TX goes a little deeper, and eludes the liberals just a little bit more, and that is the economic growth now going on in Texas makes it a very real target for a potential enemy of the United States!  Why would a nation, with only a hand full of nuclear weapons, at most, waste them on attacking a city such as Reno, NV?  They wouldn't of course, they would go after an economically thriving city that was vital to the growth of the nation.  Recent economic reports state that Texas and California are both poised to create 1,000,000 new jobs over the next four years, and it is no surprise that 3 of the five targets stated by the North Koreans are in these two states.  So what should we do?

     One report claims that Kim Jong Un has moved his rockets to the eastern borders to help improve in their accuracy.  So we know where the rockets are, and we have the capability to take them out, especially when they have not been launched.  So why do we hesitate?  We took preemptive action in Libya to help ouster the dictator there, and helped support the uprisings in Egypt, but why not North Korea?

     Granted the North Korean conflict is more complicated than the previous two, as one of our major allies lay just to the south of the rouge nation, but that cannot stop us from taking the necessary actions.  We cannot wait until a missle is headed into downtown Austin, San Diego, or Los Angeles!  By then 100,000's if not more will die from the utter ignorance of our government, and this can't be allowed.  It's time to stop trying placate madmen and use our Air Force to make a preemptive strike against the missile launching sites, and put this little dictator in his place.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Negotiating with a Madman: North Korean Threats

    North Korea is once again up to its old tricks of threatening anyone within its nuclear reach, but now they have made the claim that their military leaders have the following authority, "The report came hours after North Korea's military warned that it has been authorized to attack the U.S. using "smaller, lighter and diversified" nuclear weapons. ".  With this stern new warning from one of the United States staunch enemies it is important to review what the North's capabilities really are.

    In the previously mentioned article it is claimed that North Korea has yet to attain the technology necessary to reduce the size of the nuclear warhead enough to enable their rockets to reach the west coast of the United States, but is this a unanimously held belief?  According to www.Nuclearfiles.org, "Estimates of its range are therefore uncertain, but extend from 3,750 km to 6,700 km. If these are accurate, the Taepodong-2 would be capable of targeting most of the continental United States."  This is a frightening assessment of the rouge nations strike capabilities.  So why do we take such potential threats so lightly?

     The United States is not unfamiliar with dictators, or madmen, making threats against it.  In World War II Hitler made it quite clear what his intentions were and we failed to stand up to him in the beginning, and look where that got us.  More recently we knew that Osama Bin Laden was preparing to use airlines in some sort of domestic attack, and once again we failed to react.  Now we have a clear threat from a belligerent nation that is has been run by a family dynasty that has been plagued by madness.  So what are we to do?

     I would contend that we do more than 'try and defuse' the situation by making economic threats.  Several years ago under the Bush Administration the United States made the idiotic decision to send the North $100 million in economic aid, and in return they said they would give up their nuclear arms.  Yeah.  That worked!  Are we as a nation going to wait until two nuclear bombs detonate on our soil before we think they're serious?  I would ask our leaders to take a much more firm stance and send a militaristic message to this young leader with allusions of grandeur.  I'm not talking about declaring all out war, but a strike against its nuclear facilities, such as the one Israel successfully launched against Syria, and this should suffice for now to cripple their capabilities for the near future.  If not, we may face the horrible consequence of inaction.  Unfortunately, for the good of free people, war is at times necessary.  God bless and keep your head up.

 By Jeffrey Brandon Lee 

Financial Markets, Government Deception, and the Coming Economic Collapse

     Many economist today are trumpeting the improving United States economy, but is this miraculous turnaround really occurring, or are we just putting lipstick on the proverbial pig?  Throughout history there is one thing that's for certain, and that is every government does whatever it takes to convince the public that they're doing a good job.  This seems to be exactly what's happening when it comes to the deception of the American public.  We see numbers such as; the 'lowering' unemployment rate, rising stock market, and the bailing out of European economies, but this is just another sad case of switching the focus from the real issues because the majority of Americans are unable to understand the complex economic issues that are plaguing us as a nation.

     Starting with the unemployment numbers, it seems our government is attempting to cook the books as the former Soviet Union used to do during the Cold War.  As I have stated in previous blogs, the unemployment number only consist of people who're actually looking for work, and not those that are chronically unemployed.  What exactly does being 'chronically unemployed' actually mean?  Many average Americans would define this as someone who stops looking for work, or someone who is just plain lazy, but this is not how the government contrives the Unemployment Rate.  When someone files for the 99 weeks of unemployment they're considered unemployed by the numbers, but what happens when they run out of the Unemployment benefits?  If they're still unemployed the government labels them as 'chronically unemployed' and no longer counts them in the statistics.  This is the reason why heading up to the election the unemployment rate began to slip below 8% while the amount of new jobs created were far fewer than the number of newly unemployed.  The real Unemployment rate is estimated to be around 11-19%, which would still have us in a deep recession.  If you just take a look at the financial situation of those around you, you would see the financial situation of those we love is as bad or worse than it was when the recession hit hard in 2008.

     Moving on to the stock market I would like to use the old saying, 'first time shame on you, second time shame on me' to describe it.  How many times will we as Americans realize that when the market hits such high highs, with no applicable economic data to back up its rise, it is just the case of the wealthy and hedge funds moving from one asset to another.  We fell for it during the late Clinton years when we experienced the .com bubble, which was just the case of people moving out of currency and commodities and moving into securities.  Again we fell for it during the Bush years when we experienced the housing boom, along with the extreme rise in crude oil, which was due to trading and holding the oil contracts, and not over consumption.  Now we are under the Barak administration and we are seeing the flight from housing and other 'derivative' investments into commodities such as gold, oil, and the markets again.  And now with the DOW closing in on 15,000, oil up huge, and gold around $1550/ounce, we are poised for another great sell off in these markets.  The one key features of money that the very first bankers, the Medici family of Venice, realized was that there was not money to be made by investments or interest, but rather in the movement of money (the trading of currencies).  In modern economics there is a constant flow from commodities to currencies to stocks to tangible property, and the one who is always left holding the bag is the uninformed investor.  Now I do believe it your own responsibility to stay informed about your own investments, so I have just a small amount of sympathy for those who let the hype get the best of them and they invest in risky unproven investments.

     Europe seems to be the international issue that wealthy investors are using to move the markets in the direction they would like.  We move from one Socialist nation to another to raise the alarm and then predictably there is a resolution and the quick drop is followed by a substantial gain (making billions for the investors that are ahead of the curve).  The sad reality behind all of this is that eventually these socialist societies will fail due to enormous national debts, but by that time the savvy investor will have long ago found their haven in commodities such as gold, silver, and to a certain extent oil.  Many governments around the world are already buying as much gold as possible to help soften the coming economic collapse.  There is more than twice the gold in Fort Know being stored by foreign countries under the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. They know what's coming!

     I hope that this paper helps to educate you as to the 'possible' calamities that the world may be facing in the near future, and with that knowledge I would hope that you would review where your money is placed and make a wise decision about its future.  And next time we have an election coming up, pick a candidate (whether Republican or Democrat or Green Party) that truly wants to cut government spending, because remember we can't keep spending money as we have, because 'money really doesn't grow on trees'!  God Bless.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee         

More Thoughts On Grace: Do We Abuse the Grace of God?

     Grace is a subject that is gaining a lot of momentum among Christians these days and it important that people give it some serious thought before taking their 'absolute' stand on the subject.  Now I want to start off by clarifying one thing, and that is the moment you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior your eternal destiny is sealed!  What I would like to discuss is how we view sin after we are saved, and that is something a lot of Christians are confused about.  My intention is not to give you the 100% right answer, but rather to give you somethings to think about and to discuss with the Lord in your prayer time.  Remember, He is your source, and not the teachings of man.

     When we turn on the Christian networks today you hear a lot about grace and how our sin can never separate us from the love of God, and I for one think this is the best part of our faith because we ALL fall short of the glory of God.  The disagreement comes up when the penalty for our sins, after we become Christians, is discussed.  There are those out there who claim that even though we continue in our sins, we can still receive all the blessings of God, but does that ring true in your soul?  Shouldn't a genuine love of God produce repentance, which leads to righteousness?  I personally have sinned and seen sin in others, but when do we confront the sin in others?  And when we do confront the sin in others, are we therefor judging them and in sin ourselves?  I have witnessed pastors who say that it is not right for someone to approach a fellow Christian about their sin unless they're a spiritual mentor of the person, but in contrast to this Ephesians 5:7-14 says, "Therefor do not associate with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.  Take no part in the untruthful works of darkness, but instead expose them.  For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.  But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light."  It would seem fairly clear from this passage that we are to expose others darkness, so that they can live in the light.  I know that when dark areas of my life have been exposed it helped to bring that area to the light of Christ.

     Now Galatians is the book of grace, and in its pages we find the wonders of God's love, but we also find warnings about how we live while we are still on this earth.  In Galatians 6:7-8 it says, "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."  This is a clear warning to believers not to live by the flesh, but to live by the Spirit.  I for one, was led to believe that my sin, after salvation, was not that important by those who stood in 'authority' over me, but as time went by I understood this to be a false teaching.  I was forced to admit to my sins and let the light shine upon them so that they could be exposed, and turned to righteousness.  We do not strive by works to earn our salvation, but we dare not continue in sin, and thereby crucify Christ a second time.  If we truly want the blessings God has for us shouldn't we desire ,through faith, to please Him in all our ways?  And to paraphrase Charles Stanley, would God bless us win we continue in sin, thereby condoning what we're doing?  Assuredly not!  

     Grace is such a delicate thing when we try to grasp it in its entirety.  We are bewildered that God would send His own Son to die for us so that we may live forever with Him.  At times it is so wonderful we feel we have to earn it, and therefor render it meaningless.  And still other times we can make light of the sacrifice, and continue sinning, counting on Christ' blood to cover everything (which it does).  But in doing so, are we truly showing our love for the God who gave everything for us?  We should strive, through the Spirit, to live by the fruits of the Spirit, and to not make a mockery of the Sacrifice Christ paid for us.  Remember not to act out of a need to earn salvation, but out of love, and embrace God's blessings He has for those who love and obey Him!  I hope I gave everyone something to think about when contemplating their life in Christ, and remember pray to God for your guidance as far as your life and His Word.  God Bless.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee